Safe Haven (Old)
by ToonyTheBoi
Summary: Izuku takes over his mother's café after something makes it so that she can't work anymore. He always wanted to be a hero, but even if he can't go to UA University and follow his childhood dream, he is going to help every person he can. Whether it be with advice, or a simple cup of coffee. Currently being rewritten! Read this first if you want to see the quality boost.
1. Sweet Hazelnut Blend

Author's notes:

Hello, this is my first fic. Though I have beta'd for many (Total Command, Unaccounted Variables, Universal Languages, Dost Thou Even Hoist?, Young Midoriya, What's in a Hoard?, Channel Divinity, etc. [ **PLEASE CHECK THEM ALL OUT ALL OF THEM ARE GREAT AND DESERVE LOVE** ])

Hopefully, I don't disappoint.

 _Less gooooooo!_

Crossposted on Ao3 

* * *

Quirks are an interesting phenomenon. How one species could have so many abilities spanning throughout its ranks is incredible. Everyone has their own, and even if they inherit a similar one from their parents the person using it always seems to make it their own. It's fascinating really, how everyone can have something to call their own and identify with it in a way that no one else can.

Except for those who never received one.

Midoriya Izuku was one of the unlucky few. It taunted him throughout his life. His peers turning against him, everyone else avoiding him or ignoring his existence completely. But even to those born quirkless, quirks were too fascinating to resent. Especially to a massive hero fanatic like Izuku. Thankfully there exists a place where the most interesting quirks are shown off, advertised, and pushed to their limits.

The UA University Sports Festival, where the soon-to-be heroes advertised themselves and their abilities, hoping to be taken to the next level of their career in heroics. Every year the events got bigger, more fantastical. It was a sight to behold, to say the least. Izuku couldn't take his eyes off of it for a second, absorbing all of the new information like a sponge. It was the same routine every year and he wished it never had to change. But it did.

Izuku lamented his lack of free time as he washed the dishes, but he couldn't ignore his responsibilities. He needed to take care of Safe Haven. His Safe Haven. The café he would go to whenever he felt down and where his mother would heal him with her words. She had named the café for this very purpose after all; to help people.

He smiled as he remembered how his mother poured her heart and soul into this place, not only to make a living but for everyone else she affected. Especially her baby boy. But now he was the one taking care of her. She could no longer work, so Izuku took over the establishment during his last year of High School. He didn't complain; he would break his bones in a million different places before he let the Safe Haven Cafe go under. Thankfully he had experience as he'd basically lived there for his entire life and was ready to take the mantle as it was abruptly shoved into his hands.

But even though he loved his job, he still regretted not being able to watch all of the sports festival, his inner hero otaku sobbing at not being able to see the tournament or the finals. But at least he got to see little snippets from the patrons that watched it inside his café. They knew of his love for heroes and quirks in general and showed him some clips, laughing at his excitement at every clip. There was a girl who could bring her drawings to life, a boy with exhaust pipes coming from his calves, and a boy with red hair with lightning crackling around his body as he destroyed the ring with one of his punches. Izuku would always be seen with a notebook by his side, filled with information on heroes and their quirks. He never hid his love for heroics and he wasn't going to start now. One of the most interesting students was a beautiful girl who pulled a cannon out of her stomach… _A CANNON!_ She showed to be very resourceful in the race and the cavalry battle, pulling out whatever item she needed whenever she needed it. He sadly didn't get to see her battle in the tournament but he could imagine it was amazing with that quirk of hers.

 _'I'm just happy that they seem strong enough to hold their own… that whole situation at USJ must have been terrifying.'_

To think that he used to believe he could live up to people like that, it was ridiculous for a quirkless person to become a hero. He realized it now, it didn't make it hurt any less but he still knew. But with Safe Haven, he would help people in other ways, be it as simple as a cup of coffee to brighten up someone's day or talking them through their problems. He was content with that. 

* * *

It was getting late, Izuku started to pack up shop when he was interrupted by the sharp ring of a bell, signifying he had a customer. He was looking forward to rushing home and watching the sports festival now that he had time and it was all online, but he would never turn a customer down. He sighed in disappointment but kept a genuine smile.

"Welcome to Safe Haven, how may I help yo-" Izuku said as he looked up, only for his thoughts to be interrupted by that same girl with the same amazing quirk entering his café. Her onyx cat-like eyes almost seemed to stare through him instead of look at him. All Izuku could think when he saw her was...

 _'She looks so sad…'_

"Oh! You are that girl from the sports festival!" Izuku said with his smile growing. ' _Maybe complimenting her quirk would cheer her up_?' "Your quirk is super cool! Do you pull objects out of your body? Where does it come from? Do you have like a separate dimension where you store objects to be used later? Oh man, think of all the possibilities with that that is so amaz-" Izuku cut himself off as he saw the eyes of the girl darken, it seemed to have the opposite effect of what he intended. "I-I-I'm sorry… I get carried away whenever quirks are involved. But it is great to meet you, how can I help you?"

"It's okay, um… I'm not sure what I want. What would you recommend for someone trying to relax and clear their head?." The ravenette gave a soft smile, but he could tell it was shallow.

"Alright, I think I have just the thing." Izuku knew all of the coffee beans in his café by heart, he knew how to mix them and he knew what would help in certain occasions. He began to grind the beans that he would need with finesse. It was easy to see that she was not in a good place, so he put in his all to help remedy it. Once the water was at the perfect temperature, he began the next step of the brewing process. He noticed the girl looking at him in awe and smiled, knowing that this was at least distracting her from the thoughts that taunted her before. Before the girl could even fully understand how it all worked, Izuku placed the mug in front of her with a proud grin. "There you go, a hazelnut blend. This should help calm your nerves. There's cream and sugar to your right if you need any."

"Thank you." The girl took a sip with an air of royalty, letting the bittersweet taste soak her tastebuds to see if it needed anything and decided to pass. Taking a seat at the counter across from Izuku, she closed her eyes as she the blend. She opened her eyes and saw him staring at her expectantly, hoping she liked his blend. "This is amazing, thank you so much, Mr…"

"Midoriya Izuku." His smile grew knowing that he could at least give her some good coffee.

"Mr. Midoriya." She said with a smile. "My name is Yaoyorozu Momo, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Her smile fell after a while as she stared down into her mug, a comfortable silence fell between them as Izuku continued to clean up his shop. She saw him occasionally steal glances at her when he thought she wasn't looking. Usually, Momo would be irritated with a boy sneaking a peek at her, but she could see in his eyes that they were only filled with concern. _'Nothing lecherous like the purple bastard that was in her class. Seriously, how did he even make it into the hero program? Despicable...'_

"Ms. Yaoyorozu, is everything alright?" Izuku asked with concern heavily showing in his features. Momo noticed that she was glaring at her cup and quickly tried to dismiss it.

"No no no, I'm fine. Thank you. I was just remembering something." Momo waved her hand to dismiss his worry, even though they just met she could still see that his care was genuine. It seemed like he wore his heart on his sleeve and never took it off.

"Would you like to talk about it? I know that we just met but… I want to help. I'm sorry if I am imposing but I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try to help everyone I can." Izuku spoke his heart, he always seemed to be butting into people's business. Sometimes they got angry but it was his natural instinct to butt into problems and try to help as much as he can.

Momo took a sip of her coffee and sighed. "I'm glad I'm in UA, it is a dream-come-true to learn where those we aspire to be frequented. But it all has been weighing down on me lately… It's a lot of pressure."

"I can imagine, especially with that attack at USJ. I'm just glad people like you were there to defend yourselves. Who knows what might have happened if you couldn't," Izuku pondered as he cleaned the last of the mugs to put on the rack.

"People like me?" Momo asked with wide eyes.

"Y-yeah." Izuku rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Your quirk is fantastic, you were so level headed during the race and you always had something up your sleeve for every situation in the cavalry battle. You are amazing at what you do, from what I have seen anyways. I know you made it into the tournament but since I work here full time I wasn't able to see how you did. I was actually planning on seeing the rest tonight..."

Momo's eyes were wide with his declaration. She never expected anyone to say that to her, especially one that met her only a few moments ago. But at the mention of the tournament, she looked down in shame, remembering her quick defeat at the hands of Tokoyami. "You're exaggerating… I'm sorry to spoil the tournament but I was taken out in under two minutes." Her eyes darkened as she observed the swirls in her coffee, trying to distract herself from her utter defeat. "I failed miserably."

"Mmm…" ' _So that is what this is about.'_ "I'm sorry, but I have to disagree. You were by far the most impressive student that I got the pleasure to see during the festival. I'm pretty sure everyone with eyes could notice the promise that you hold in being a hero. I truly believe that you are going to excel in any endeavor you choose to take in your future career." Izuku only told the truth, sincerity shined through his eyes at Momo. "Even if you didn't make it far in the tournament portion of the festival, you showed enough for everyone's eyes to be on you when it counted." Izuku smiled as he said that last bit.

Momo blushed at the green haired barista, not expecting this sort of praise from someone that barely knew her. She tried to respond but the words died in her throat.

Izuku cleared his throat as he blushed as well. "S-sorry if I said too much, It's hard to stop me when I start rambling. But if it makes you feel better I am a terrible liar." Momo chuckled but appreciated his sincerity.

"Thank you…" The clouds in her head started to clear a little, opening up some room for a ray of sun to poke through. She still had doubts but the nice boy's words hit her in the right place.

Another wave of silence fell upon them, until Izuku came to the other side of the counter and held out his hand. "Come over here, the beanbags are much more comfortable than these stools."

Scarlet invaded her cheeks as she stared at his hand before taking it, letting him help her stand. For the short amount of time he held her hand, she basked in its warmth. But it faded as he let go and started to walk towards the lounge area of the café which students would use as a base of operations for their study groups. A lot of the upperclassman mentioned this café and she was curious to see it, especially since it was so close to the dorms. But now she was learning that the Safe Haven Café was living up to its name. Even though she has known the barista for a very short amount of time, his sincerity made it so that she could somehow trust him. She took another sip of the delicious blend that he made and followed him.

Izuku exaggeratedly flopped face first onto the green bean bag. "I never get to use these even though I'm here basically every day. Sooo comfyyyy~" Momo laughed at his antics and softly sat onto a bean bag to not spill her perfectly made coffee.

Izuku turned around and got into a more comfortable position, now sporting a huge grin because he managed to lighten up her spirits more. "You wanted to relax, so I want you to try this out for me. Get into a comfortable position and close your eyes. Try to forget about the past two weeks; no USJ, no sports festival. Let go of the world and relax." Izuku closed his eyes and seemed to sink more into the bean bag.

Momo decided to oblige, closing her eyes and taking in her surroundings with her other senses. The delicious smell of the coffee, the sound of Izuku's soft breathing in the otherwise silent café.

It was serene. 

* * *

After about five minutes Izuku opened his eyes and was about to speak up before he noticed that Momo was sound asleep. The exhaustion of the last two weeks was now showing its head as she softly curled up like a cat with her half-empty mug sitting by her side. Izuku smiled knowing that she was at peace at least for a little bit, feeling a little proud that he could make her feel better. He picked up the mug and put a fluffy blanket he had in the back over the hero-in-training so she could sleep peacefully.

For the next half hour, Izuku let her sleep. He cleaned everything and made sure the café was ready for when he returned the next morning. As much as he detested to do so, he gently woke up Momo. "Ms. Yaoyorozu, as much as I want you to get rest I need to close up the café."

Momo groggily opened her eyes and stretched with a yawn, again seeming almost cat-like in her mannerisms. Once she woke up a little more and noticed what happened, she blushed profusely. "I-I-I-I'm so sorry! I must have dozed off. That's so embarrassing… How long was I asleep?"

"Around half an hour, maybe a bit more. I didn't want to disturb you, you looked so peaceful." Izuku helped her up and handed her a to-go cup with another freshly brewed hazelnut blend. "You didn't finish your drink. I made a new batch so you don't have to worry about cold coffee." His smile was so bright it was hard for Momo to look directly at him.

Momo's blush never faltered as she mumbled out a small thank you, before suddenly remembering that this establishment was not a charity. "Oh! How much were these worth? I need to pay you before I-" Izuku held up his hand, stopping her in her tracks.

"Don't worry about it, it's on the house. I just hope I could help you with your dilemma." Izuku started heading to the door. "Plus, I would have to open up the register and I just locked it, I can't be bothered to open it up again." He held the door open and gestured for her to leave.

Momo was conflicted; this boy was too generous for his own good. She felt like she was taking advantage of him, but when she looked in his eyes she could tell that he had no regrets. He wasn't trying to score any 'brownie-points' with his generosity, he didn't have any ulterior motives. He just wanted to help a person in need. The grey-eyed girl gave a shy smile as she headed out the door, waiting for him to lock up before saying anything else.

"Thank you Mr. Midoriya. For everything. You could have just treated me as any other random customer and not paid me any mind, but you gave me your valuable time to lift my spirits."

"That is how I treat every customer in need." He pointed to the sign above him. "It's called Safe Haven for a reason, my mother wished this to be a place for people to heal. To feel, well, safe. I might not be able to become a hero, but I can sure as hell do what I can to help. Whether it be by acting as a 'therapist' of sorts, or…" He gestured to the cup in her hands. "A simple cup of coffee."

Momo was once again shocked at the sweet boy's words. "I see… well, if it's any indication I think you would have made a great hero." Izuku's bright green orbs seemed to sparkle with her words. No one, not even his mother believed that he had what it took to be a hero. Now he had confirmation that even if he couldn't risk putting himself in danger lest he leave his mother behind, he could keep doing this and help people with a smile.

Just as he always dreamed of doing.

Izuku wiped his eyes but beamed brightly at Momo. "Thank you. You don't know how much those words mean to me."

Momo smiled and nodded, glad that she could make him feel even a sliver of what he did for her. "You're welcome Mr. Midoriya."

"It's Midoriya."

"Pardon?"

"Drop the mister, it makes me feel ancient. I'm only 18, you know." This revelation came as a surprise to Momo, the way that this boy spoke made him seem much more mature than his age. Of course, she saw he was still young but never would she have imagined that they were the same age.

"Only if you call me Yaoyorozu, Midoriya," Momo said with a blush again finding its way to her cheeks.

"Deal."

They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Izuku heading home to take care of his mother, and Momo heading back to Heights Alliance; both assured that the paths they were taking for their futures were the right ones, and both wondering when they would meet again. 

* * *

Author's notes:

I hoped you liked it, I am gonna make more of this so stay tuned. Leave a review if you have any criticisms, see something wrong, or just have something nice to say. Thank you!

See ya in the next chapter :D.


	2. Cream and Sugar

Author's Notes:

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Momo sighs as she buries her face into her hands. While Midoriya was right, and she was recognized by 108 different agencies for her internship. It was absurdly difficult to pick which one would suit her best for her first internship opportunity.

Obviously, there were a few that didn't quite fit her interests, and that helped narrow it down a lot. But she was still left with around 20 agencies that she had to pick from. It has been bothering her for the past hour and a half. The deadline was the next day and if she couldn't figure something out she would most likely choose something she would regret out of the blue.

"Curse this-" Momo interrupted herself to google what the fear of making decisions was. "Curse this decidophobia… decidophobia? Really? That's what it's called?" Momo again groaned in frustration, this was getting her nowhere and she needed to make a serious decision quickly.

Three slow knocks interrupted her thought process. Thankful that she can get a distraction from the internship decision, Momo opened up the door with a smile. Kyoka said was at her door in a casual 'DEEP DOPE' tank top with short shorts.

"I heard decidophobia and you sounded really frustrated, need help with something Yaomomo?" Kyoka said with a slightly concerned expression.

"You heard me?" This surprised Momo because she was under the impression that the dorms were soundproof. ' _How…? OH!'_ Momo slapped a hand to her forehead. "Right, super hearing. Sorry, I have been really distracted with the internship coming up. I have no clue which one I should pick."

Kyoka hummed in understanding. "So, you need any help? I already chose mine and I got some time." Kyoka asked, playing with one of her long earlobes. It was a mannerism that Momo had come to find charming in the punk girl's usual boldness.

" _Please?_ I have narrowed it down to around 20, but it's still so hard to pick one that will benefit me the most." Momo pleaded and thanked whatever god would listen that someone could help her in these 'dark times'.

"Well, I can't." Momo's face darkened and Kyoka frantically tried to calm her down. "But I can point you to someone who can! He helped me pick mine. Some of the upperclassmen saw us struggling in the library and pointed us to a cafe where the owner is a dorky superhero nerd. It's really close to here actually, wanna come?" Kyoka asked, her concern deepening after seeing the usually bubbly Momo so down in the dumps.

"A cafe? Well, I guess I'll take all the help I can get. Thanks, Kyoka." The onyx eyes of the raven-haired girl seemed to brighten up a bit, and Kyoka was eternally grateful.

"Don't mention it. It is mine and the rest of class 1A's duty to protect bubbly Yaomomo at all costs." The punk girl said with an exaggerated voice. She turned around with a grin and walked towards the elevators of the dorms.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't worry about it!" Kyoka pressed the elevator button and got in.

" _KYOKA WAIT I STILL HAVE TO GET DECENT!_ " Momo yelled as she rushed back into her room.

Half an hour later, Momo and Kyoka were nearing the cafe when the taller of the two finally caught on to where they were heading to. "Oh! We're going to Safe Haven?"

"Yup, greeny helped me a lot a few days ago when I went. He'll be glad to help you out." Kyoka explained as they turned the final corner.

Momo was surprised, how much was that boy going to end up helping her? First the pep talk and chance to rest, now helping with her internship? ' _He is getting more interesting the more I find out about him.'_

* * *

Izuku loved whenever the start of a new school year came. Not for his own school, it was honestly traumatizing what he had to go through throughout most of his life in school. But for the surge of new students that came to Safe Haven each year. He could never thank the upperclassmen enough for recommending his shop to the other students.

He especially loved when they came looking for advice. Whether it be general advice or ones for their hero career. Although he has only officially owned Safe Haven for around a year, he was always there helping out the UA students with his admittedly excessive knowledge about heroics. Now was the time of year where students were picking out their internships and he would never turn away to anyone in need. He had to make up for not being able to be a hero somehow after all.

The green haired fanboy usually had an answer for most things, with 15 years of information stored into his many hero analysis notebooks. But he did not have an answer for why the most impressive student in his eyes was now entering his cafe for what he assumed would be that same exact reason, if her coming with Kyoka was any indication.

"Sup Greeny!" The punk teen sat at the counter to Izuku's left, motioning for Momo to sit next to her. "This is Momo Yaoyorozu, she's another hero student that needs help with her internship."

"I know who she is, we've met. It's nice to see you again Yaoyorozu." Izuku beamed out a smile to the two girls.

"Yes, hello Midoriya. I didn't know you were so knowledgeable about heroes. You didn't seem like the ' _dorky superhero nerd_ ' Kyoka described when we first met. Thank you for that by the way, I still owe you for that coffee." Momo gave a grateful smile to Izuku, Izuku was conflicted by the revelation that Kyoka sees him as a 'dorky superhero nerd' and the heart squeeze he got from the smile.

"Well, I'm glad a ' _dorky superhero nerd_ ' like me has some use." Izuku glared at Kyoka, which only got a smug grin and a shrug in response. "Also, forget about the coffee. I told you it was on the house. Anyways, would you two like anything before we start?"

"Black coffee please," Kyoka said while pulling out her phone.

Momo widened her eyes and stared at the purple haired teen. "Really? I thought you hated bitter things."

"Oh, I do." Kyoka continued to look through her twitter feed without sparing them a second glance.

"Okay… I'll have the same thing as last time, please. It was delicious," Momo asked with a smile, seemingly trying to make up for her friend's rudeness.

"Alright, it'll just be a moment. Gather your thoughts so we can get started." The barista said as he turned to make the girls' drinks.

After Izuku was finished he turned back to give them their coffee. "Here you go. I hope you enjoy."

"Thanks for the bean juice, Greeny," Kyoka said as she proceeded to absolutely destroy the coffee with cream and sugar to the point where it was barely recognizable as coffee. Izuku physically winced when he saw the abomination that she had created but managed to hold it in for the most part.

"Now that makes more sense." Momo sighed as she looked exasperatedly at her best friend. "Well, ignoring that. Thank you for the coffee. Now I heard you can help me choose where I can go for my internship? I managed to narrow down the offers I got after the sports festival to around 20. These are the agencies I have but it's… difficult for me to make decisions."

"Of course, your first internship is important. So let's see here, what do you want from your internship? What do you hope to gain from it?" Izuku inquired sipping his own cup of coffee.

"Well, I want somewhere that won't waste my time. I want to make the most of this chance and prove not only to the agency but to myself that I got what it takes." Momo declared with a determined expression on her face.

Izuku smiled at her earnest answer. She was ready to do what it takes to make the most of her career and her life. "Sounds good. So you should probably cross these 8 off the list."

"Why not Uwabami?" Momo asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Trust me, from what the upperclassmen that have interned with her it's anything but hero training. I don't think they went out once to patrol. It was mostly posing for commercials. It wasn't a useless time however, they got to see how the publicity of a hero is important and all that but I can imagine you would be incredibly frustrated with her. Which is a shame because her snake quirk is so cool! When she is in action she is actually quite formidable and c-" Izuku cut himself off when he noticed that Momo and Kyoka were staring at him with faces of disbelief. "Sorry... When it comes to heroes I can't really help myself. I'm a rambler." Izuku chuckled and nervously scratched the back of his head.

"Told you he was a dork." Kyoka snickered.

Momo playfully slapped Kyokas arm. "It's fine, it's actually quite impressive that you know so much. You're like a living hero encyclopedia! And it was very good advice, so thank you." Uwabami would most likely be her choice if she didn't come here, so she was grateful for Izuku's information. "So now we have 12 left. Not much of an improvement but it is one."

"So I noticed that all of these heroes are female, any reason for that?" Izuku asked, trying to hide his embarrassment by sipping his coffee. He never took compliments well, even with his experience as a barista.

"Yes actually, I wanted to know the struggles of women in the hero industry. It's best to learn from the best after all." Momo looked towards the ceiling imagining herself in their shoes, proving herself to the world that she could do it.

"What's your quirk? I know you can pull objects out of your body but how does it work?" Izuku asked excitedly bringing out his most recent notebook that was filled with the new students of UA. Opening it up to Momo's page.

"There's the notebook again, I am still convinced that calling you a 'dorky superhero nerd' is completely valid." Kyoka teased as she drank her creamy abomination.

"This is slander and I will not stand for it…" Izuku blushed as he tried to hide behind his notebook.

"'Hero analysis'? Did you take notes on us?" Momo asked, a bit embarrassed that someone took the time to see what she could do.

"Yeah, sorry if it's weird. But I always loved taking notes on heroes. Again like I told you that other night I wanted to be a hero but… It didn't work out. But I'm not one to let my passions die out so, I still do it." Izuku brought out his pen but when he was distracted Kyoka snatched his notebook out of his hands and started reading his notes on Momo.

"H-hey! That's personal!" Izuku scrambled to try and get it back but Kyoka wouldn't let up.

"Wow, you are quite the artist. Look at this Yaomomo!" Kyoka turned the notebook around, revealing an incredibly detailed Momo with her UA sports attire. It was incredibly impressive, to say the least.

"Midoriya, you shouldn't be so ashamed, this is amazing!" Momo grabbed the notebook and started admiring the detail.

"R-really?" Izuku wrapped his arms around his face in embarrassment, hoping she didn't read the admittedly weird notes he had on her. ' _Hopefully, she doesn't read the part where I-'_

Momo's cheeks turned a bright red and her eyes widened.

 _'DAMMIT!'_

Momo closed the notebook out of embarrassment, one of the notes that Izuku took on her was that she was beautiful. From how the boy acted in the first time they met to now she could tell that there was nothing behind it. No lust or libido. But it didn't make it any less embarrassing. She cleared her throat as she handed back the notebook. "I- erm… Very detailed notes as well. S-so about my quirk."

"Y-yes about that… how does it work?" Izuku opened up the notebook and seemed to hide behind it as he got his pen. Hoping to forget that any of this ever happened. All the while Kyoka looked at the two blushing messes with a smug grin. _Oh yes, more teasing material for the both of them._

Momo took a deep breath to compose herself before she continued. "Well, I use the lipids from my body to create anything I wish. I have to know the chemical composition of everything I make but if I know that and the schematics I could most likely figure out in time."

Izuku stopped his notetaking to stare at Momo in disbelief. "Wait… you know the chemical composition of everything you create?"

"Y-yes" Momo faltered at his intense gaze.

"That's amazing!" Izuku blurted out in excitement.

"Really?" Momo's blush once again returned but Izuku didn't seem to leave his little world as he wrote down more in his notebook.

"Of course, that's super impressive! I bet you are the top of the class. Oh man, imagine the possibilities with that quirk. Is there a ratio of how much fat you need to produce certain elements? Can you make any electronics? If you do then that's impressive as well because you need to know the exact specifications of a motherboard and how to build one. How much can you create at a time? Are there any drawbacks other than lipid loss? Do you build it in layers or do you just imagine an image and pull it out of your bodies using the chemical compounds however you want? This is so coo- OW" Izuku was literally flicked out of his rambling by Kyoka.

"Cmon dork, she's here for help with the internship not to be studied like a lab rat." Kyoka took another sip of her abomination as she leaned back in her chair.

"R-right. Sorry, Yaoyorozu for wasting your time. I just get really excited when it comes to quirks…" Izuku looked down as he put away his notebook.

Momo waved away his apology. "It's fine, I think it's really sweet that you are so passionate about heroes and their quirks. But yes we should get this done, the deadline is tomorrow."

"So I've heard," Izuku looked back up with a small blush but decided to pay it no mind and get to business. "Let me see the ones we've narrowed it down to again." As Izuku looked through the list he started to frown.

"Something wrong?" Momo asked, concerned that nothing was going to work out for her.

"Hmm… let me see the full list. I know you narrowed it down to these but if I am going to be honest none of these will give you the experience that you want." Izuku finished his coffee and started cleaning up his cup as Momo dug the full list out of her bag and handed it to the 'hero encyclopedia'. Izuku looked at the lit and his eyes widened in surprise when he reached a certain agency.

"What? Did I miss something?" Momo asked in anticipation, Kyoka even looking up from her phone in interest.

"Ooooh yeah, don't know how you missed this one. She's in the top ten heroes after all." Izuku circled the name and gave Momo back the list.

Momo was seriously confused, she thought she combed through all of the agencies when she was narrowing it down. There's no way she missed a top ten hero, did she? But there it was, in the middle of the third page.

The Dragoon Agency.

Momo's eyes widened in shock. "RYUKYU REQUESTED _ME!?_ " Momo yelled in shock, only to look around and see everyone in the cafe staring at her outburst. She put her head down and muttered out a small apology while Kyoka kept laughing at her expense.

"Don't worry, he made me feel dumb when he pointed out what I needed for the best experience too. So you ready to go and fill out the application?" Kyoka patted her friends back to comfort her a little bit, getting up after a few seconds to signal that they should go.

"Yes of course! But that is incredibly frustrating if I saw that the first time I wouldn't have had this problem. Thank you Izuku, you were a big help." Momo paid for both of their drinks, much to the dismay of Kyoka, and started to head out.

"Wait, Yaoyorozu, may I speak to you for a bit?" Izuku pleaded as went to the other side of the counter.

"Of course, go on without me Kyoka I'll catch up in a second," Momo asked Kyoka, with her giving a small grin as she walked out the door.

"Okay, but don't take _too_ long ya lovebirds. See ya Greeny." Kyoka waved and quickly walked away, knowing that she succeeded in embarrassing them both.

Momo blushed and cleared her throat. "I-I'm sorry about that, she can be a bit much at times. What did you need?"

"I-I… well. I wanted to apologize, I know you read the notes and it might seem really creepy and I just got really nervous and I don't know what exactly to say so I am just going to shut up now." Izuku rambled and bowed.

"Please get up, I thought it was really sweet. You putting your thoughts on paper like that with no filter is kind of charming." Momo chuckled as she dismissed his apology.

"Well, I'm glad, because I wouldn't have been able to take it back," Izuku said sporting an even bigger blush as he looked back up to her. Her onyx eyes almost seemed to glimmer at the compliment.

"W-well… thank you Midoriya. I… uhm… hey, could I see your phone for a second? Mine ran out of battery." Momo asked clearly nervous about what she was about to do. It seemed unlike her but there was something about the dorky green haired barista that made her feel like she wanted to get to know him better.

"Yeah of course." Izuku handed his phone to Momo, she seemed like she was texting someone. She quickly gave him back his phone sporting a small blush.

"Thank you. I must be going now, it was nice to see you again Midoriya." She waved as she walked out the door.

"It was nice seeing you too," Izuku said, beaming a smile to the ravenette. He turned back once she left and checked his phone, only to see that a new contract was made with the name 'Momo' on it. Steam seemed to pour from his ears as he sported a massive blush. ' _S-S-She gave me her number?'_ He turned to the door only to see that she had already left. He had the biggest, goofiest smile that he could possibly have. ' _I got a girl's number… WOOHOO!'_

* * *

Momo was catching up to Kyoka that was waiting at a stoplight, unable to lose the blush she had from the cafe.

"What did loverboy need to say to you?" Kyoka said with another smug grin. ' _How can she possibly be even smugger than she was before?'_

"Nothing, he just wanted to ask me another question about my quirk that's all." Momo dismissed Kyoka with a wave of her hand.

"If you say so." Kyoka started to walk once the light turned green.

She didn't know if doing that was the best decision. But she knew one thing.

She couldn't stop smiling.

* * *

Author's notes:

Hoo boy. Sorry this took so long. Christmas with the family got in the way and I was unable to get this done in a reasonable time. Anyways I hope you liked it. Please give a review if you see anything is wrong or you liked it. The next chapter shouldn't take as long :D.


	3. Iced Coffee

AN: Well this took longer than I thought. This chapter kicked my ass to hell and then I scrapped it completely to save the idea for a later date. Sorry it took so long I know people have been asking for it a lot. Thanks to Titus (The author of What's in a Hoard and Channel Divinity) and Azure (Author of Now You See Me) for betaing my fic.

Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

Izuku was good at reading people. The skill came with the years of working with his mother and talking to customers, but for the first time in a long time, he was struggling to read someone. After the sports festival, he had a better idea of who he was; it was kind of difficult to miss the boy with the mismatching hair and heterochromatic eyes.

Every visit would be the same, ordering with what seemed to be an almost practiced routine. He opens the door, walks to the counter, orders an iced coffee, picks it up with a slight nod, and leaves. Always using the fewest amount of words possible, and never even telling him his name. The only reason Izuku knew the boy's name was Shouto Todoroki was because of Present Mic's commentary during the sports festival. For two weeks before the sports festival, it was the same routine, the same words, the same nod, the same emotionless expression.

But not this time.

This time there was something off about Shouto. He was quieter than usual, meaning no words at all. Instead, opting to point to what he wanted. There was something in his eye, something that Izuku recognized in himself. It wasn't just self-doubt like Momo, it was more poignant than that, the feeling of worthlessness.

"Hey."

The mismatched eyes met his.

"Are you okay?"

Shouto's eyes widened slightly.

"I don't know."

Of all answers, Izuku wasn't really expecting that one. He was expecting a deflective statement, similar to what he used on his mother as a kid. But before he could say anything in response, Shouto just started walking out the door.

"H-hey wait!" Izuku was about to run after him, but he couldn't leave the shop unattended. Izuku followed him with his eyes, sporting a concerned look. He knew what those feelings could make you do, what he almost did. He quickly pushed away those thoughts; they were still there, but he could manage for now. The green haired teen sighed before bringing out his signature smile to attend to the other customers.

* * *

The next day Shouto didn't come in for his morning coffee, but Izuku couldn't just ignore what happened the day before. He texted Momo to come to the café before her classes started (He still could not believe that a girl as amazing as Momo would even think of speaking to him regularly, but he was immensely grateful). He knew they were in the same class, so maybe she could help.

As she walked through the door and the chime rang through the shop, Izuku couldn't help but radiate a smile. She just brought it out of him every time, 'Maybe she has an extra smiling quirk like Ms. Joke or something?'

"Hello, Izuku!" Momo mirrored his smile as she sat down at the counter, taking off her UA jacket.

'Oh boy…' Izuku once again pushed away bad thoughts and focused on what he needed to do. "Hello, Momo, thanks for coming. I wanted to talk to you about Todoroki."

"Todoroki? What about him?" Momo never saw the two interact so she had no idea they knew each other.

"Well, I was hoping you could help with that. When he entered Safe Haven yesterday, there was this look in his eyes that stuck with me. What do you think about him?" Izuku's serious expression caught Momo off guard.

"W-well, he doesn't talk much so I don't know anything except for his impressive skill. He is quite high in the school rankings and if you saw the sports festival, you can see why. But it seems like he is always holding something back... and lately, he has been even more quiet than usual, always looking really down, which I presume is due to his loss at the sports festival. I'm sorry I can't help you very much."

"No, no, it's fine. I didn't expect you two to be best friends or anything since school basically just started for you. But you did confirm what I was thinking in regards to why he's feeling down. I'm just… worried about him. Thank you."

And there it was, that determination to help people again. The sincerity in Izuku's words put another smile on her face; it was hard not to admire his spirit. She was glad she decided to give him her number to better keep in touch.

"Well," Izuku started. "I don't want to keep you here much longer, school will start for you soon. I'm sorry I took up your time. Here," Izuku passed her a to go cup with her favorite hazelnut blend and another with what she guessed was iced coffee from the temperature. "that one is for Todoroki, he missed his morning coffee today."

Momo was about to pay for her drink but he stopped her. "No, no, I took up your time to be here so take that cup as payment. And when you give that to Todoroki, just tell him that if he ever needs to talk to someone, my doors are always open."

"I will, thank you for the coffee." She got up and stashed the money for the drinks under a napkin; she couldn't let him go out of business for his generosity. She gave a final goodbye and took her leave, wondering if the boy could get any more interesting than he was now.

* * *

Shouto was resting his chin in his hand as he waited for Aizawa to arrive and begin class. He had missed the deadline for the internships, but at this point, he didn't care. He had blown his chances at the sports festival against Eijirou, so the requests he had gotten were pitiful at best except for his father's. He just wanted to get through the day. He closed his eyes, trying to maybe get a wink of sleep before class began, only for someone to tap him on his shoulder. He sighed and opened his eyes to see Momo with a gentle smile, holding a cup of iced coffee.

"Good morning, Todoroki. This is for you." She put down the coffee and sat down at her desk, knowing that he wasn't really in the mood for talking.

"... Why did you bring me coffee?" Shouto asked, confused. Momo and he barely interacted before this point so her generosity was unwarranted.

"It's not from me, it's from Izuku." She explained simply, looking at her own cup of coffee fondly before closing her eyes and taking a sip, releasing a content sigh.

' _Who the hell is Izuku?_ ' Shouto eyed the coffee again and took a sip, instantly recognizing the flavor from that café he found a few weeks ago. ' _That guy… why...? I didn't even know his name.'_

"He also asked me to tell you that if you ever need someone to talk to, Safe Haven's doors are always open," Momo said without looking away from the cup that she cradled in her hands.

Shouto didn't know what to say, so he kept quiet. Conflicting emotions flooded his thoughts; gratitude, intrigue, but most of all confusion.

' _Why...?_ '

* * *

It was a quiet Friday at Safe Haven, most of the students had left to go to their dorms to sleep so Izuku was passing the time texting Momo. For only knowing each other a couple of days, they were constantly texting each other, it felt natural.

(8:32 PM) Green Bean: So how did operation 'Give Todoroki His Coffee To Not Be Sad Anymore' go on Wednesday?

(8:33 PM) Yaomomo: Oh, operation G.T.H.C.T.N.B.S.A.? Perfectly, well I'm not sure if he's sad or not but he liked the coffee!

(8:33 PM) Green Bean: Well, 50% is good for now, thank you for doing that.

(8:34 PM) Green Bean: Oh, also, I will somehow find a way to sneak the money you left here back into your possession.

(8:34 PM) Yaomomo: I left it there for a reason. Besides, you make fantastic coffee and it can't go unpaid.

(8:35 PM) Green Bean: STOP!

(8:36 PM) Yaomomo: You make fantastic coffee, you're fun to talk to, you are a pure soul, and I will continue to compliment you until you accept the money that you deserve.

(8:37 PM) Green Bean: Fine, just stop please, it makes me blush.

(8:37 PM) Yaomomo: Blooshy bloosh.

(8:38 PM) Green Bean: I blame you for not being able to focus on my daily tasks.

Izuku quickly realized the implications of that message and started typing a frantic apology, but was interrupted by the door chime. Izuku looked up to see the mismatched and distressed eyes of Shouto. He quickly pocketed his phone; he would deal with that embarrassment later. This seemed like it was going to get heavy.

Shouto and Izuku kept staring at each other for what seemed like hours before he slowly sat down at a counter and ordered another iced coffee. Izuku silently made the drink, not wanting to disturb Shouto's seemingly intense thoughts. He placed the drink in front of Shouto and sat down next to him, waiting for the other boy to be ready to speak. More and more time seemed to slip away before Shouto made the first sound since he walked in.

"... Why?" He asked again, out loud this time, not looking up from his coffee.

"... Why what?" Izuku shot back after a few seconds of silence.

"Why do you care?"

"I'm sorry, I don't underst-"

"Why give me the coffee through Yaoyorozu? Why be generous to a person that has barely said more than 50 words to you before then? What's the point?" Shouto looked him dead in the eyes with the last question, it had been on the back of his mind for the past two days and he couldn't understand why anyone would care about him at all. No one bothered to talk to him unless it was necessary, never mind holding out a hand to lift him up when he felt down.

"Well, when I looked at your eyes the last time you were here it..." Izuku paused to choose his words carefully. "You looked like you were asking for help."

No one had bothered to check up on Shouto before outside of his sister. Everyone just thought he was a quiet loner who wanted to be left alone. No one knew what was going inside his head and no one really cared to try and find out.

"I-I'm sorry if I overstepped, I didn't mea-" Izuku was interrupted by Shouto raising his hand.

"You don't have to apologize; you didn't do anything wrong. I just failed to understand why anyone would go out of their way to care about someone they barely know."

"Well, you are a hero in training, right? Isn't the true essence of being a hero meddling when you don't need to? That's what All Might says, anyways." Izuku smiles as he gets up from the counter. "So, do you want to talk or did you come here just for the coffee?"

Shouto's answer came with him standing up, walking towards the bean bags and slamming face-first into them with a groan.

"Great!" Izuku exclaimed as he sat down on his own bean bag. "So, I'm guessing the reason you are down is because of the sports festival?"

"Yes," Shouto removed his face from within the bean bag dimension. "I lost horribly, as you saw."

"Not really, it was still an incredibly impressive show of power. The whole point of the festival is to promote yourself to agencies anyways, right?"

"That wasn't the point for me. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it." Shouto flipped himself so he could sit down properly onto the bean bag.

"Win the tournament?"

"Specifically without my father's quirk."

Izuku's eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh! Your family name is Todoroki, like Endeavor. You have a fire quirk, too?" Izuku brought out his notebook once again to update Shouto's page. "Wait, what do you mean by 'my father's quirk'?"

Shouto sighs before continuing. "My father… is not the hero the media makes him out to be."

Izuku motions for him to continue.

"I can't believe I'm telling you this…" Shouto mumbles, closing his eyes to prepare to relive his childhood. "I was made to surpass All Might, a product of my father's obsession."

"M-made?"

"Have you ever heard of quirk marriages?"

Izuku's eyes widened. "Oh…"

"My father married my mother due to their compatible quirks, her's is ice. I am the fourth attempt, the one that finally succeeded. My father took me away from my siblings as soon as he learned what my quirk was. He told me I was different, and trained me until I collapsed. Whenever my mother would defend me he would… you can guess where that is going." Shouto took a shaky breath as he remembered the sharp sound of the slaps that would go across his mother's face. "It was driving her insane."

Izuku motioned him to continue as he got up to get some water for Shouto, this explanation was taking a toll on him.

"It all came crashing down when I was five years old. I walked in on my mother, who was preparing tea while talking to her mother. I called out to her and…" Shouto put a hand over his left eye. "'Your left side is unsightly,' she said as she poured boiling water over me."

Izuku gasped with this new revelation, his eyes as wide as saucers with shock, concern, and disgust found in his features.

"My father locked her in a mental institution, he pushed my mother into insanity. He is a monster, and I wanted to rob him of a victory by winning with only using my right side. But… I failed." Shouto accepted the glass of water that Izuku gave to him and stayed silent. Izuku reflected on all of this devastating information for a few minutes before speaking his mind.

"I understand that your father is a horrible person, one that doesn't deserve what he has in life. But there is one thing that you said that still bugs me." Shouto's eyes hovered back over to Izuku, awaiting his response. "'My father's quirk'" Shouto raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"It's your power, isn't it?"

Shouto was about to respond but nothing came out, the question lingering in his mind.

"Your father doesn't define who you are, your mother doesn't either. You are your own person. You can't let the disdain for your father hinder you from your own success." Izuku smiled at him. "Your quirk is one of the most impressive I have ever seen, Todoroki. You have immense potential to be a great hero without your father hovering over you."

Shouto looked at his left hand, remembering what his mother said to him all those years ago.

'You don't have to be a prisoner of your own blood.'

He clenched his fist and smiled. "I want to be a hero, and he won't stop me."

"There you go! You got this Todoroki!"

"Please, call me Shouto. I don't like that name."

"Sure thing, call me Izuku instead of Midoriya then."

"Wait, Izuku is your first name? Yaoyorozu is on a first name basis with you?" Shouto questioned with an eyebrow raised.

"I- uuhh… well, you see. Uhm… yeah?" Izuku struggled to answer as he flailed his arms around him.

"I see." Shouto didn't really mind, but he was surprised that the two were that close. Maybe they are a childhood couple? Shouto brought up his 'mental corkboard' and started theorizing the possibilities.

Izuku coughed, bringing Shouto back from his thoughts. "Well, let's get back on topic. When was the last time you talked to your mother?"

"... I haven't visited her since she was committed. I thought that all it would bring her was pain. My sister asks sometimes if I want to visit but I wanted to separate myself from them to keep them from suffering."

"Well, I think that is where you should start. Talk to her and see where you want to go; it will be the first step in accepting yourself." Izuku smiled softly and put a hand on Shouto's shoulder. "And if you need anything else, I'm always here. I know we just met but I'd like to think we can be good friends!" Izuku's smile brightened as he finished his declaration.

"Friends… I would like that."

"I'm glad!" Izuku exclaimed, he paused as he looked towards the clock. "Wow, we have been here for a while. I need to close up shop." Izuku stood up and started to clean. "Feel free to stay for as long as I'm here." Izuku started picking up the chairs to put them on the tables so he could mop the floor, and as he did, he noticed Shouto doing the same at another table. Izuku smiled and they continued working in a comfortable silence.

* * *

"Thanks for that, you didn't need to help me clean up." Izuku said as he held out the door for him and Shouto to leave the café.

"It's the least I can do, you gave me a lot to think about. Thank you, Izuku." Shouto didn't show much emotion usually but Izuku could see a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"No problem! Have a nice night, Shouto!" Izuku waved and started walking away, only for Shouto to grab his arm and turn him around, handing him a phone.

"W-what?"

"Friends exchange phone numbers, right?" Shouto asked, he was never great at talking to people.

"Oh! Yes, of course!" Izuku smiled as he put in his phone number and texted himself. "There you go, now you can contact me whenever you need."

"I'll hold you to that. Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Well, goodnight!" Izuku started walking away again, happy to make a new friend. Shouto stared at the only contact on his phone other than his siblings for a moment, and started making his way to the dorms.

He let a few flames flicker between his next day he would visit his mother, and take the next steps to accept his power. It still didn't feel right, but hopefully, he could get past it and be the hero he always wanted to be.

* * *

In Momo's dorm room, Momo was still freaking out about the last text Izuku had sent an hour ago. Neither of them had messaged each other after that and the implications of the text he sent were not lost on her. Yet, she couldn't wipe the dumb grin off her face.

"He thinks about me?"

* * *

AN:

Wow, that was heavy. I'm so sorry for making you guys wait so long. Honestly, I'm not too proud of this chapter. But it is a necessary step for the next chapter which hopefully will keep you guys entertained and not take three weeks to write. I hope you all enjoyed!

Oh also shout out to Dial and Error and A Cup Of Magic for inspiring this fic in a way. They are amazing and you should check 'em out if you like TodoMomo!

And thanks for all of the reviews, they have been great motivators for creating this fic!


	4. Red Rooibos Tea

Author's Notes: Wow, this one took a lot out of me. This is longer than a usual chapter so I hope you enjoy!

* * *

"Why does Hosu have to be so far from home…" Izuku huffed as he continued to trudge through Hosu. He was returning from a trip to where he gets his supplies for Safe Haven. It was far but the drastically reduced price made it worth the journey, he had to find a way to make enough to take care of his mother after all.

He was glad he trained his body, at first it was to survive being a quirkless individual in a quirked world, but he started becoming very proud of how far he had come.

It certainly helped to make the trip only tedious rather than strenuous.

It was calm, the late night backstreets of Hosu basically empty. The comfortable buzz of the lights pushing Izuku forward to the station where he would take a train back home.

' _I wonder how Momo is doing at her internship?'_

Izuku had been thinking about Momo a lot lately, he wasn't able to communicate with her as much because she was focused on her internship, he didn't really want to bother the heroine in training. Shouto was also busy, after his talk with his mother he decided to take the internship with his father after all. And he somehow convinced the school to let him even though the deadline had passed. Both of them being so busy left a very bored Izuku with no one to talk to.

' _I miss the times Mom and I took care of the shop together…'_

His thoughts were interrupted by the wall that was a few feet in front of him exploding in a shower of bricks and dust. Izuku was knocked down as he shielded himself from the debris with his arms.

When he finally looked up he saw the most horrifying creature he had ever seen.

It was a hulking black humanoid creature with bright red scars spread all over its enormous body. That alone would have been intimidating enough, if it wasn't for its towering height, matching Endeavor in stature. Its black skin bulged with unnatural muscle mass that undoubtedly held immense power; maybe enough to challenge All Might. That thought alone shook Izuku to his core as he started to sweat.

Izuku's eyes traveled to its upper body and he almost puked when his eyes locked with its grotesque head. ' _Oh God…'_ Izuku swallowed thickly as he took in the nightmarish features. Its bottom lip was pulled down into a snarl, exposing its gums and lower teeth to the open air. The rest of its head lacked anything resembling human features, an exposed brain replacing its cranium. The grey matter oozed and shifted with each minute twitch that came from its muscular neck.

The slow movements that its head made as it swept from side to side made it seem like it was looking for something, and every one of Izuku's instincts told him to run.

"Rreeaaaarh..." The beast let out a low moan that made Izuku's spine shiver.

It was hunched over, the muscles visibly shifting under its skin with each stumbling movement. Izuku held in the bile that crept up to his throat, he took advantage of the beast's lack of sight to carefully crawl to the other side of the supply cart, staying as still as possible to not make any sounds that would attract it.

But as the creature took another step, its immense weight made the coffee jars on the supply cart rattle. It reared its ugly head towards the sound and Izuku covered his mouth with his hands to hold in the terrified whimper that wanted to escape. The hunched-over behemoth began to take slow, trudging steps towards the cart, the rattling becoming louder and louder as each step shook the cart and Izuku to their core. His limbs became numb, unable to move another muscle. His lungs failing to decide between hyperventilating and stopping completely.

Its slow and agonizing approach made the next few seconds feel like _hours_ to Izuku. It stopped as it hovered over the cart, it was so close that Izuku could see the exposed brain pulsate in and out as if it was breathing. It raised its hands slowly and closed them into fists. Izuku's heart almost stopped, his eyes widening as he realized that…

He was about to die.

' _Mom, I'm sorry…_ ' Tears started to well up as Izuku closed his eyes, he was about to be crushed and beaten to death and he couldn't do anything to stop it. He trembled as he held back a sob, holding his breath as he waited for the crushing hands of death.

But before it could slam down its fists, a screech from a block away grabbed its attention. The creature slowly lowered its fist and let out another guttural moan. It crouched down and sprung towards the noise, completely disregarding the existence of the building that it barreled through like it was paper mache. Leaving Izuku alone and terrified.

The green barista's heart was beating as if he took ten-thousand espresso shots in the span of a minute, he scrambled up and pushed the cart as fast as he could through the alleyways, in the complete opposite direction of the beast.

"What _was_ that thing?"

He had no idea, but he wasn't planning on staying to find out.

* * *

"Oh God… where am I?"

Izuku was constantly asking himself that question, frantically maneuvering his supply cart through the alleyways as he tried to run away from the sound of the explosions that were happening all around him. He was out of breath, but he didn't know what else to do so he kept running. Until he heard a scream in the alleyway that he just passed.

Izuku stopped immediately, turning around so he could assist whoever screamed. He wasn't about to leave anyone in this hellhole if he had anything to say about it. As he was about to turn the corner, a gruff and intimidating voice stopped him in his tracks.

"You and your brother are both weak. Because you're fakes."

"Shut up, villain!"

Izuku peeked around the corner, his eyes widened at the scene laid out in front of him. A lean, muscular figure with ragged bandages covering his arms and face was holding a worn and rusty sword; the business end impaled into the arm of someone that wore armor similar to Ingenium. Another man, who Izuku recognized as the pro hero Native, was leaning against the wall near him.

Izuku quickly got himself out of sight and flattened himself against the wall. ' _What is my luck today?_ '

The Ingenium lookalike began to speak again. "He's paralyzed from the waist down… He can't work as a hero anymore!" He clenched his fist with anger. "There was no reason for you to crush him!"

Izuku was right in thinking he was related to Ingenium, most likely being the UA student Tenya Iida that he studied during the sports festival.

' _Wait… if Ingenium was injured two weeks ago…_ '

"He's my hero..." Tenya gritted his teeth in pure rage.

' _That's the Hero Killer!_ ' Izuku's blood felt like ice as he realized how drastic the situation truly was. ' _The other heroes are most likely taking care of that beast and whatever commands it… what am I going to do?'_

Ideas fired through his head, thinking of how to save them all, when he remembered something. Izuku pulled out his phone and sent a quick message before sneaking in to the alleyway.

 _He wasn't alone._

* * *

"He was an excellent hero who gave me a dream! I won't forgive you…" The armor cladded hero shakily closed his hand into a fist and tried to push himself up, the only thing pushing him forward being his unsatiated rage.

" _I'LL KILL YOU!_ "

Stain smiled and licked his lips, ready to start another satisfying monologue. He slowly brought up a hand and pointed behind him without looking.

"Save that guy first…"

Tenya's eyes widened in confusion. ' _What?'_

"Reflect on yourself and save others, don't use your power for yourself." Stain smiled sadistically. "Being taken in by the hatred before you and trying to fulfill your own desires… that is the furthest from what a hero should be."

Stain took the sword out of Tenya's shoulder and kept him down with a boot on his head, he chuckled as he brought the bloody and rusty sword up to his lips.

"That is why you'll die." Stain licked the blood on the tip of his weapon and Tenya felt his entire body growing rigid.

' _M-My body won't move..._ '

Stain flipped his sword so it pointed directly over Tenya's heart, an aura of intimidation seeping through him.

"Goodbye. You're an offering to a more just world."

" _WAIT!_ "

Stain's sword hesitated, he would let the boy have his last words.

"Who were you pointing at?"

"What?" Stain turned around to see that the pro hero he tracked down was gone, a bloody trail leading to the outside of the alleyway. ' _He must have type O blood…_ ' Stain grunted as he took his foot off of the UA student's skull. "Wait here…" Stain slowly approached the edge of the alleyway, determined to not let the fake get away.

He followed the train of blood and when he turned the corner…

" _FLOUR SMASH!_ "

Stain's eyes were bombarded with a white powder, disorienting him completely before a powerful kick met his jaw, knocking him back into the alleyway.

"GAH!" Stain tried to rub away the infernal powder, but before he got the chance to he was barraged by a series of high and low kicks. It was almost rhythmic in its nature so he was able to dodge after a few strikes, jumping back to get some breathing room against his attacker and get back his sight.

"Tenya Iida right? It's going to be okay, don't worry." A shaky voice that Stain didn't recognize gave out.

"Who are you?"

"Izuku Midoriya, I saw you on the sports festival." Izuku let out a shaky smile to reassure the boy on the ground. "Your quirk makes you fast, we need to get out of here together as soon as possible to a bigger street where pro heroes are more likely to-"

"I can't… move my body…" Tenya growled out. "Ever since he cut me…"

Izuku flinched, he had a feeling this would happen.

"He got you with his quirk then, cutting you activated his Quirk… just like the online forums predicted. Dammit!" Izuku was glad he hid Native behind his cart, he wouldn't get in the way of the skirmish. However, if he left with Tenya, Stain would most likely find him and finish him off. ' _There's no running from this situation without trading lives…'_

"Midoriya… Don't get involved!" Izuku's eyes widened as he looked back at the downed boy. "This has nothing to do with you! You need to get out of here before you get hur-"

" _NO!_ " Izuku cut him off. "What are you saying? I won't just let you die!"

Stain perked up at the pure determination found within his voice. "Someone came to save you, isn't that perfect. But kid, it's my duty to kill him. If we clash, of course, the weaker _will_ be culled."

Izuku shivered at the intimidating look in his eyes. ' _Those are the eyes of a real killer…_ '

"Now, what will you do?"

Izuku swallowed thickly but held his ground, he lowered his stance to the ground in the cadeira stance. ' _I just need to stall for time by myself… hopefully, I can drive the Hero Killer away.'_

"Stop it! Run away! This is no place for a civilian! I told you, didn't I? It has nothing to do with you!"

"If you say that, then heroes can't do anything!"

Izuku started moving from side to side with the Ginga technique, remembering his teachings to always keep moving. "It's like All Might said: Meddling when you don't need to is the essence of being a hero!"

Stain's eyes widened in surprise, he smiled to see someone with the determination he was looking for. Close to the only real hero he believes in, All Might. ' _Hopefully, he won't disappoint._ ' Stain entered his own stance and readied himself for battle, letting his tongue fall lazily out of his mouth as he gave a terrifying smile.

Izuku was the first to approach, keeping himself low to the ground and throwing a kick to his chest. He may not have a quirk, but he is prepared to defend himself. He trained in Capoeira to be a slippery threat, always moving and disorienting his opponent, he hoped it was enough to survive a literal hero killer for long enough to receive backup.

Stain moved to dodge and attack him but Izuku slipped under his legs and gave a sharp kick to his ankle. Quickly grabbing a handful of flour he still had in his hand and throwing it at Stain's face once more.

Stain recoiled with a grunt, and he swung quickly to where Izuku should have been, his sword meeting with the ground. "Where is he?" Stain growled as he tried to regain his composure and sight.

Izuku kept low to the ground and delivered an axe kick right to the temple and dipped away as fast as possible, but it wasn't fast enough. Stain sliced his shoulder and pinned him against a wall, laughing maniacally.

"I like your spirit, kid! People like you interest me." Stain pinned Izuku's right hand over his head and stabbed his palm with one of his smaller knives. Izuku screamed in pain as his hand was punctured, pinned to the wall like a dartboard. "Now, something that I thought was interesting was that you didn't use your Quirk…" Izuku's eyes widened in terror of the savage in front of him. "Care to tell me what it is?"

"I-I'm quirkless…" Izuku growled through his teeth.

Stain and Tenya shared similar expressions of confusion.

"So you decided to help someone, someone you don't even know against a person far beyond both of your leagues. Even though you are quirkless?"

Izuku stayed silent, he couldn't explain why he did it, only that he did and had no regrets.

Stain laughed as he let go of Izuku, taking his knife with him. "You are worth letting live. I have no purpose in killing you." The killer licked the blood on his knife, instantly paralyzing Izuku.

"So it's blood then, you ingest the blood of your victims and paralyze them so you can easily take the kill." Izuku winced as he tried to calm down the throbbing of his bleeding hand.

"You are impressive kid, but I still have to do my duty." Stain walked towards Tenya, who flinched as the hero killers red eyes pierced through him.

"NO! STOP!"

Stain positioned himself above Tenya, ready to deliver the final finishing blow, no emotion on his face. Tenya closed his eyes to brace himself for his death.

" _STOP IT!_ " Izuku's eyes filled with tears, he didn't want to see anyone die.

But before Stain could lower his weapon, he was interrupted by a pillar of fire racing towards him. The Hero Killer jumped off of Tenya and drew out his short blade once he escaped the fire. "It's one after the other… So many people trying to get in my way today." Stain gritted his teeth as his situation got a lot more complicated.

"Good thing you sent that text Izuku, it seems like I got here just in time. But try to be more specific next time, 'Plz halp now' isn't very descriptive." Shouto kept his left side ignited. "You almost made me late."

"T-Todoroki, you too? And you are using your flames?" Tenya grunted.

"Shouto!" Izuku smiled as he saw his friend, he was glad he got his number a week ago.

"You two know each other?" Tenya asked confused.

"It doesn't matter now... " Shouto slammed his right foot onto the ground and sent a wave of ice towards Stain, making him jump back while Izuku and Tenya were slid down towards Shouto in the makeshift ramp he made. He then sent another pillar of fire sailing towards the air to give them breathing room.

"I won't let you kill my friends, Hero Killer." Shouto stared him down with a menacing look on his face.

' _Someone's timer is bound to end soon, I need to end this quickly._ ' Stain thought to himself as he regained his ground.

"Shouto! Don't let him cut you, if he ingests your blood he can paralyze you like he did to us!" Izuku yelled out to his friend.

"Got it, keep my distance and- _gah!_ " Shouto's left cheek was grazed by a knife that Stain threw towards him.

"You have good friends, Ingenium!" Stain exclaimed as he jumped towards Shouto with his short blade in hand, swinging it towards Shouto. But he blocked it with a wall of ice. Stain quickly used it as a platform and jumped to grab the sword he threw earlier, coming down to lick Shouto's bloody cheek.

" _NO!_ " Shouto screamed as his left side burst into flame, making Stain retreat and use his sword to cut through another wave of ice. "That was close…" Shouto grunted as he stood his ground.

"Why…" Tenya gritted his teeth and forced out the words. "Stop this… Please stop!" Tenya's eyes were bloodshot, a sign of his lack of sleep over his brother's condition. "I've inherited my brother's name. _I_ have to do it… he's _mine!_ "

"You inherited it? That's strange." Shouto rebutted as he shot out another powerful blast of flame. Quickly changing to Ice and creating a huge ice wall to block out Stain's vision of them. "The Ingenium that I saw before never had that look on his face, though. You've got a lot going on behind the scenes in your family, too, huh?."

"Shouto…" Izuku grunted as his paralyzed state kept him from writhing in pain. Until his injured hand twitched. ' _Huh?_ '

A flurry of swipes dismantled the wall of ice Shouto had created. "To block your own view against an opponent faster than you… What a foolish plan!" Stain once again approached Shouto but before he could send out another wave of fire his left arm was impaled by two small knives. "You're pretty good, too!" Stain exclaimed with a smile as he descended onto Shouto with his sword.

"STOP!" Izuku landed a dropkick onto Stain's chest, launching him towards the wall. "For some reason, I can move!"

"A time limit?" Shouto inquired.

"He was the last one Stain paralyzed, and I still can't move yet."

' _So he is blood type O?_ ' Stain held his chest as he tried to regain his breath.

Izuku stood next to Shouto in his cadeira stance. "There are three possibilities, it gets weaker with more people, the amount ingested, or the blood type." Stain narrowed his glare at the last one and Izuku smirked. "Bingo, its blood type."

Stain started laughing. "You are a clever one… aren't you?" His smile grew more sinister. "Yes, that's correct.

Izuku got closer to Shouto and quietly spoke to him. "Native is behind the cart at the end of the alleyway where I hid him, so taking both him and Iida out is going to be difficult even with the two of us together."

"The best way to go is to hold out until the pros get here, you contact anyone else?"

"Only Momo, but I don't know if she will be able to make it. Regardless, the best plan is for me to go in and you back me up with your flames and ice."

"Alright, I trust you. We can protect them." Shouto readied himself as Izuku approached The Hero Killer again, keeping himself low to the ground to avoid the swipes. It was back and forth, as Tenya watched unable to do anything on the ground.

"Please stop… I'm already-"

"If you want us to stop, THEN STAND UP!" Shouto screamed as he pulled out the two knives sticking from his arm and threw another blast towards Stain, narrowly missing. "Look properly at what you want to be, _and do it!_ "

Tenya realized how absolutely foolish he had been. ' _I let them bleed for me… I only saw what was in front of me… I couldn't see anything except myself!_ " He thought back to his brother, when he was still active as a hero, '" _If you admire me Tenya, then I might be an amazing hero."'_ Tenya started to grip the ground under him, closing his hand into a fist.

Stain cut Izuku's leg and paralyzed him. "I'm sorry, Shouto…"

Stain landed his feral eyes onto Shouto and started running towards him. Shouto sent out wave after wave of fire and ice but Stain kept dodging them all.

"You are too focused on your Quirk. You're being careless!" Stain yelled as he approached Shouto. His blade getting dangerously close to slicing his left arm off.

" _SHOUTO!_ " Izuku screamed in terror.

"RECIPRO…" Tenya's engines revved up with power. " _BURST!_ " He quickly got in between them and kicked Stain's sword clean in half.

"Iida!" Izuku exclaimed with glee as he saw that he was free from the Quirk's grasp.

"I'm sorry… this has nothing to do with you two."

"This again?" Izuku blurted out.

"That is why, I can not allow you two to bleed more than this!"

"Pitiful words… You will never be anything but a fake who prioritizes his own selfish desires!" Stain's eyes narrowed, focused on his target. "You are a cancer to society, and someone must set you straight."

"You're an anachronistic fundamentalist. Iida, don't listen to the logic of a murderer." Shouto reassured his classmate.

"No, he's right. I have no right to call myself a hero…" The blood from Tenya's shoulder dripped down to his clenched fist. "However, I can not give in, if I do the Ingenium name will die!"

"Not an option."

Iida tried to dodge but his recipro was out, Shouto threw out a wave of fire to defend him. "Todoroki, freeze my legs without plugging the exhaust!" Shouto gave him a nod of understanding, instantly freezing his leg. But before they could do anything Tenya was stabbed in the arm, pinned down to the ground. Stain coming in close to finish the job.

"I WON'T LET YOU KILL HIM!" Izuku tackled Stain out of the way, pinning him to the wall, baring his teeth with effort to keep him restrained. But before he could even register it, Stain flipped him over and there was a sharp pain in his side. One of Stain's small knives stuck right above his kidney.

" _IZUKU!_ "

An artillery shell sailed towards The Hero Killer, and he dodged quickly before it slammed into a wall of the alleyway, completely destroying it.

' _Another one?_ '

"Izuku?!" The same voice asked in a concerned tone.

It was Momo, she abandoned her heavy artillery and ran up to him. She kneeled down, tears of concern and guilt swimming in her eyes. "I'm so sorry! I was late! I'm so so-" Izuku cut her off with a chuckle.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine." Izuku tried to sit up but failed, clutching his side where the knife was still present.

"No, no it's my fault!" Momo sniffed as she wiped away her tears. "I could have come sooner I-"

"Momo, it's okay, we have bigger things to worry about." He gestured to Stain who was perched above a doorway with a scowl. "It's the Hero Killer." Momo gasped and looked at the attacker. "We have to take him down, let's- gah!" Izuku clutched his side again in pain, closing his eyes to keep the tears that threatened to escape.

"No… you stay here. I don't let people hurting my friends off easy." Momo's face hardened as she wiped her eyes one last time. Standing and walking towards Stain with a determined expression, summoning a staff from her right arm.

Tenya saw that, once more, a friend was putting themselves on the line for him.

He couldn't let that happen.

Tenya bit down on the knife stuck in his bicep and pulled it out with all his might. ' _I can't let this happen… I can lose my arm, but I can't lose this!'_

Momo started running up to Stain, throwing some small explosives to distract him and take him off of his perch. She looked to Tenya and saw him gearing up to attack. " _IIDA, GO HIGH!"_ She screamed as when she reached the disoriented stain and hit him up as hard as she could with her staff, launching him in the air.

Tenya gritted his teeth as his engines revved back to life, the heat completely melting off the ice that Shouto surrounded his calf with. The flames becoming more vibrant within his exhaust pipes, turning into a bright blue flame. "Recipro… _EXTEND!_ "

" _GO NOW!_ " Shouto yelled, as he charged up his flames he noticed Momo running back to where she came from.

Tenya shot into the air following Stain, the Hero Killer tried to lunge at him but couldn't keep up with the explosive burst of speed that Tenya held within him. Iida landed a solid hit only his chest, breaking a few of his ribs in the process and sending him spiraling upwards once more. Before a wave of fire flew towards the Hero Killer, torching and disorienting him. Leaving the final blow to Momo, a shell hitting its mark straight into Stains stomach. Finally putting him out of commission.

It was quiet for a few moments save the heavy breathing of the four young adults.

"Is it over?" Izuku asked, still laying on the ground.

"Looks like it..." Shouto concluded, seeing Stains almost lifeless body laying on the floor.

"Let's restrain him, and take his weapons. We need to turn him into the police." Momo stated as she started creating titanium handcuffs. ' _I'm not taking any chances…'_

"Good idea, let's go." Shouto agreed as he went to disarm the downed Hero Killer.

"Hey, are you okay?" Someone asked, kneeling over Izuku's injured body.

"N-Native? Yeah, I'm fine! Don't worry about-" Izuku winced in pain as he tried to sit up again.

"Hey, hey, don't move. You really saved my hide there kid. Thank you for that." Native smiled at the green haired boy.

"N-no problem, it's what anyone would have done right?" Izuku shakily asked.

"...No, sadly it isn't." Native frowned for a few seconds but brought back the smile, he scooped Izuku up and put him on his back.

"H-hey, that isn't necessary, plea-"

"No, you are injured, at least let me do this for you."

"... T-Thank you." Izuku muttered out as he was carried towards the rest of the group.

He smiled, looking at his friends, he turned his head to Tenya and his face became concerned once he looked down towards his bloody arms. Tenya turned towards him and give a soft smile, it said all that Izuku ever needed...

 _Thanks for saving me._

* * *

Author's Notes: Finally done with this chapter, it took me all day to write. If you have any questions or anything feel free to ask. I just hope you all enjoyed my first ever action chapter.


	5. Hiatus, maybe

Ignore this chapter, I went on hiatus and now I'm back, only keeping it because of the reviews

:D

Hey, coming with some potentially shitty news.

No it isn't a new chapter, sorry. I won't give excuses like everyone else does because I think its demeaning to all of you who deserve a good story. As it stands now, I don't know if I am ever going to continue this. Shit happened in my life, a lot of people (especially me) were upset, and I honestly don't feel the drive I do anymore to finish this fic. And I don't want to keep you guys waiting for something that might never happen.

I love the concept, I'm extremely proud of what I have already done and I read every single comment you guys send my way. I hear you, and I love you, and I'm sorry. I'm in a really shitty place in my life right now and, well, I can't promise that I am going to be able to deliver a finished fic or anything resembling it. Maybe, one day, but as of right now I am not sure if Safe Haven is going to continue. I just don't want to feed into your hopes only for me to end up abandoning everything later like a few months down the line. I have gone through the same shit and it is awful every single god damn time. Maybe once I get out of high school and enter college, or something else positive happens in my life does. But for now, I can't bring myself to do it.

I'm sorry.

-Toony

Also, sorry for everyone that had to read the other awfully formatted version of this update, something broke but I think I fixed it?


	6. Chamomile Tea

After Stain was tied up, Momo checked on Izuku and patched up his injuries, apologizing profusely throughout the process.

"Momo, I'm fine. Please calm down…" Izuku assured her one last time.

Momo bit her lip in concern as she gave him another look over, a small blush adorning her cheeks. It was necessary to remove his shirt to tend to him, and it made the process all the more difficult. ' _I could grate cheese on those...'_

' _NO! BAD MOMO!'_

"I-If you're sure…" The flustered Momo helped Izuku back up onto Native's back as they dragged the Hero Killer out onto the street.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't do anything, I'm the pro and I did absolutely nothing." Native apologized with a sigh.

"No, I don't think you could have done anything. He was too strong to go one-on-one." Izuku tiredly mumbled.

"We had four people and we barely took him down…" Shouto muttered.

Tenya kept to himself, silently brooding over his impulsive actions.

"Well, we survived. And that's all we need to focus on for now." Momo smiled at her classmates, her eyes lingering on Izuku's ragged form.

"Hey, I was actually on a supply run for Safe Haven and my cart should be around here. Mind bringing it for me? I'm not going to be able to buy more for a while, it should be right around…" Izuku trailed off as he saw the decimated remains of his supply cart. It was half singed, half frozen, and buried under some of the rubble from the wall Momo destroyed. "Aw man…"

Shouto and Momo winced as they saw the damage they had caused, faces ridden with guilt.

"Izuku, I am so, so sorry! I swear I didn't mean to-" Momo's apology was cut off by Izuku weakly raising his hand.

"Don't worry about it, I'll just have to be conservative with how I run Safe Haven for the next month. I should have enough to get some more supplies by then." Izuku gave them a wobbly smile.

Before either cart-destroyer could object, the group breached the alleyway into the open street.

"We should call the police now, I'm afraid of Stain wanting a second round when he wakes up," Native spoke up. Shouto brought out his phone to do just that before a white and yellow blur landed in front of them.

"Is everything okay here? I was told to come here suddenly." A short old man sporting a domino mask asked them with concern as he glanced at the injuries.

"Everything should be fine now. The threat has been taken care of for now." Shouto gestured over to the ragged form of Stain.

"Is that…?"

Momo nodded. "It was a struggle, but we were thankfully able to take care of it."

Everyone turned towards the sound of the multiple footsteps approaching from down the street.

"Is everything alright?" One of the heroes asked.

"Endeavor told us there was a request for help but…"

"Children?"

"Those are some serious injuries! I'll call the ambulance right away."

One of the pro heroes glanced at the downed figure of the Hero Killer. "Hey… i-is that?"

"The Hero Killer!?"

"Police. Now."

"On it!"

* * *

The young adults were relieved once the heroes appeared, while they were waiting on the ambulances the adults started asking some questions. But Tenya still held onto those dark thoughts. He walked up to his classmates and Izuku to speak his troubled mind.

"You three…" Tenya bowed as low as he could without causing more damage to himself, shielding the three from the view of his tearful eyes. "You were injured because of me. I am truly sorry." Izuku, Momo, and Shouto all looked in concern at the hero in training. "I couldn't see anything through my rage, and it put you all in danger. I don't know how I can call myself a hero…"

Izuku winced as he limped towards Tenya and put a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, stop that. You don't have to put yourself down. I was injured because I recklessly ran into danger without thinking about myself first, I knew I wanted to help you and it wasn't your fault that I came to help. You made a mistake and put your feelings first... but that doesn't mean you can't learn from it and be better." He smiled as he gently pulled Tenya from the bow.

Tenya didn't know what to think, Izuku could barely walk because of him and yet he still believed in his ability, how?

"You have the potential to be as good, if not better, than your brother as _Ingenium_." Izuku beamed as he took a step back.

"He's right, I only just came to terms with myself, and I'm pushing myself to be a better hero in the future." Shouto flickered a flame on his left hand. "We are still students after all."

Momo gave Tenya a gentle smile, "Iida, you are one of the most diligent and promising students of our class. You have nothing to fear when it comes to being a hero. Now pull yourself together, you are the class deputy aren't you? I going to need your support as class rep after all."

Tenya wiped away the tears and looked at them with a shaky smile, "Right."

The group started to relax, as their long and perilous fight was ove-

"Get down!"

Everyone snapped to attention as a shriek could be heard from above them.

"A villain?!" One of the heroes exclaimed, but no one could react fast enough to prevent the following.

The winged creature, with a bloody crater on the side of its exposed brain, swooped down and snatched Izuku with its talons. Time seemed to flow like molasses as everyone witnessed Izuku quickly being taken into the air.

"Izuku!" The heroes in training were quick to act, but the oppressive wind kept them from being able to do anything.

A splash of the creature's blood landed on one of the nearby heroes. "Blood? Did he escape after being beaten?"

Izuku screamed in pain as his already damaged ribs were further crushed, blood filling his throat.

The creature rose higher and higher, the threat of Izuku never being seen again getting closer to reality, but before the creature could get out of range, it suddenly started to drop.

"This society overgrown with fake heroes…"

A red blur ran by the group and leaped into the air, rope spiraling behind him.

"The Hero Killer!?"

"And the criminals who wave their power around idly…" Stain stabbed the creature in the brain and dragged it down with him, grabbing Izuku and carefully adjusting him so he wouldn't be injured as they slammed into the ground.

"... should all be purged."

Izuku struggled to turn his head towards his savior, as he saw the blank stare on Stain's face, all he could feel was dread. Stain's drool dropped onto the floor as he took a painful breath.

"This is all…" He twisted the knife embedded in the creature's brain and pulled it out, splashing blood behind him. "to create a more just society."

"He saved him?"

"Idiot, he took a hostage!"

"He just killed someone without any hesitation..."

"Everyone, get ready to fight-"

"Why are you all just standing there? The villain should have gone this way-" Endeavor assessed the situation that he stumbled into. "Don't tell me… is that?"

Stain, hearing the new voice, looked back at the group. Once his eyes landed on Endeavor, his eyes filled with rage. "Endeavor…"

"Hero Killer!" Endeavor brought out his flames as he readied himself for a devastating attack, seemingly unaware of Izuku's presence.

"Wait Todoroki!" The elderly hero exclaimed.

Stain dropped Izuku on the ground and slowly turned around. The mask that he wore slipped from his eyes, and landed on the ground. Izuku blanched as he saw Stain's terrifyingly grotesque face, almost resembling a decaying skull, the rage in his eyes amplifying the pure terror that it emanated. "You fake…" A wave of terror blew through the group, paralyzing everyone with fear as he took his first step. "I must make it right… Someone must be dyed in blood…" His menacing aura forced the heroes to unwillingly step back. "I must take back what it means to be a hero!" Stain took another heavy step towards them.

"Come! Try and get me, you fakes!"

Even Endeavor was taken aback by the horrifying man that stood before him, he could feel the pure rage and determination that Stain held.

"The only one I'll let kill me is the true hero…" Stain exclaimed with a smile and wide, crazy eyes.

"ALL MIGHT!"

No one could move, no one could think, all they could do was feel utter dread as the man who was literally too angry to die, stare them down.

 _Clink_

The knife Stain was holding fell to the ground, bloodied and broken, snapping everyone out of their trance. A moment of silence befell the group.

"He's… unconscious," Endeavor muttered in disbelief.

The three heroes in training fell to the floor, staring at the terrifying figure before them, who even after going unconscious due to a rib puncturing his lung, was still standing. And Izuku, after everything that happened today, slumped onto the ground.

" _IZUKU!_ "

* * *

 _Clink_

Momo sighed as she bent down to grab the canned chamomile tea from the vending machine.

' _Hospitals are the worst…'_

It has almost been a day since they were all admitted into the hospital. Since she had the least amount of injuries due to her late arrival she didn't have to wait long before being released. The other three were still recovering, with Shouto and Tenya being fully awake and healing well. But Izuku definitely had it the worst: Four broken ribs, a shattered shin, fractured collar bone, and a cracked ulna. He was still sleeping, but his surgery went well and should wake up soon.

But it didn't help Momo feel any less terrible for what happened.

As she walked back to the room where the three boys were recovering she started hearing some chatter, 'That's weird, Shouto and Tenya haven't talked much since yesterday. I wonder what-'

"The hand crusher? Really?"

And then she heard his laugh.

Momo smiled as she rushed to the room. "Izuku!" She exclaimed as she finally saw his face. Izuku turned and gave her one of his signature smiles.

"Hi, Momo- oof" Momo almost tackled him with a hug and held on tight.

"I'm so glad you're okay…" Momo mumbled into his shoulder.

"Owowowowow ribs broken stop please ow hurting ouchie owie ow-" Izuku strained as Momo's worry filled hug threatened to break a few more of his already destroyed ribs.

"Oh- I-I'm so sorry!" Momo jumped back with a massive blush on her face as Izuku tried to regain his breath.

"I-it's fine, Momo." His tomato impression was getting better. "Thanks for worrying about me."

Meanwhile, Shouto's internal theory corkboard already had a few new pins connecting the mystery that was Izuku and Momo's relationship.

"Well, now that everyone is here I would officially like to thank you three for coming to my aid when I needed it the most," Tenya spoke up to cut the awkward silence. "And also for believing in me when I was at my lowest, I will try to be a better hero in the future. I will keep my stiff arm as a remembrance of this, and never forget what you three have done for me. Especially you Izuku, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't be here today." Tenya gestured at Izuku who had a surprised look on his face.

"Izuku?" Izuku was confused at Tenya already calling him by his first name.

"Is that not your name?"

"S-sorry, that's my given name. Midoriya is my family name." Izuku sheepishly smiled.

"Wait what? Then why…?" Tenya looked over at Shouto, who shrugged, and Momo, who somehow became three shades of red darker.

"Well, if you would like you can call me Izuku too. I just wasn't really expecting it, sorry." Izuku rubbed the back of his head.

"I would rather call you Midoriya for now, once I get to know you better I will gladly take you up on that offer." Tenya gave a reassuring smile.

"Alright, Iida, I'll hold you to it."

"I also have to commend your abilities Midoriya, you held your own very well for someone who is Quirkless."

. . .

" _YOU'RE WHAT!?_ " Momo yelled in disbelief. Shouto stared at him, dumbfounded.

Izuku flinched at Momo's outburst. "Y-yeah I'm Quirkle-"

"Do you understand how reckless and dangerous it was to run into danger without any means to defend yourself?" Momo asked, exasperated.

Izuku put his head down, he couldn't meet Momo in the eye.

"Izuku, are you seriously telling me that you ran straight into an incredibly dangerous confrontation with the _Hero Killer_ without a Quirk? Do you understand how incredibly reckless that is?" Momo pinched her nose in frustration, and Izuku held a deep frown as he recounted the events that led him here. "Izuku what were you thinking?"

"... I wasn't," Izuku spoke up after a few moments. "But now that I am thinking, I would do it again in a heartbeat." Izuku raised his eyes to meet Momo's, his vibrant green irises burning with determination.

Momo's face softened, "I-I know that you want to help people, Izuku. I know how much this means to you it's just…" Momo grabbed his hand, "Even though we have only known each other for the better part of a month, I have really come to enjoy your company." Momo smiled softly, "I don't know what I would do without it."

"I agree," Shouto spoke up, "You helped me realize something about myself that frankly changed the entire direction that my life was heading. You 'saved' me then, you don't have to resort to recklessness and putting yourself in danger to be heroic. You already are a hero in your own way, but leave the danger and recklessness to the pros, alright?"

Izuku thought for a moment, "You're right, I'm sorry I was so reckless. I promise to, well, not do that." Izuku chuckled

Momo smiled, and they continued to chat until the day was over. Neither her or Izuku noticing their still intertwined hands.

* * *

Five days later, and Izuku was finally out of the hospital. He could finally get back to Safe Haven and continue doing what he loves. He woke up early as he usually does, and took the train to UA, where he walked the rest of the way to the cafe. He opened up shop and started setting everything up, but as soon as he got to his supplies he slammed his face into his hands.

"Goddammit, the cart!" He groaned. "Not only did I have to worry about having to survive this month _literally_ , but now I'm going to have to figure out how to survive this month financially." The financially struggling man ran his hands through his thick hair. "I guess I am going to have to manage, I always do."

"Don't worry Izuku."

Izuku jumped and quickly turned around to see Shouto and Momo standing at the door.

"We have you covered," Shouto said with a grin as he flashed what seemed to be his father's credit card.

"We never got to apologize correctly for destroying your supply cart, so we're going to take you shopping!" Momo excitedly bounced as she eagerly explained.

' _She's so bubbly… it's adorab-'_ Izuku shook away those thoughts, and with a small tinge of red on his cheeks, he smiled.

"Thanks, guys!"

* * *

Author's notes:

SPRING BREAK GAVE ME TIME TO WRITE?

AM I BACK?

I DON'T KNOW?

But I'm so fucking happy I got to finish this chapter, it was killing me. I really just wanted to get to the fluff and funny stuff which will be in abundance in the next chapter, hopefully. Sorry that it's a bit shorter than most of my chapters but I wanted to end the Stain arc here and I don't want to inflate my chapters with bullshit. Now don't expect super-frequent updates until around May once I graduate, but I will try my absolute best to get some more chapters in by then.

Another thing, I honestly can't thank you guys enough for the support that I saw in the reviews on the hiatus announcement chapter, it really helped me conjure this chapter up from the depths of my mind.

Seriously, Thank you.

On to the next one!


	7. ITS UPDATE TIME BOYS :D

Hello everyone, It's time for some good news. Well, good news for me, maybe not for some of the readers.

I already updated this on AO3 a while back and now I'm finally getting to , I am doing a rewrite!

Yeah, a rewrite, sucks balls usually. I know, I've dealt with some before, but the main reasons that I am rewriting it are because:  
1\. The quality of writing is overall sub-par.

2\. The relationship between Izuku and Momo is unnaturally fast, and I fucking hate it.

3\. The entire story needs fleshing out in order to be something that I can be proud of.

Don't worry if you love this version, I am not going to be making major changes to the plot, every plot point you see will still be in the rewrite but there will be more in between to flesh out the characters and story. It's basically a revamp for the chapters that already exist while adding a few new chapters in between to make everything cohesive.

And guess what, you don't have to wait!

Chapter 1 is already out, I urge you to read the old version and then the new version just to see the sheer quality upgrade that my writing has gone through (Thanks to AzureFireHawk and his lovely wife for helping me in that regard) so check that out on my profile or however you do it (I don't understand this website's problem with links).

Thank you so much if you enjoyed this trainwreck of a fic but I hope I can impress you with future updates! (Chapter 2 coming in a few days, its a rewrite of the og chapter 2 but the new chapter 3 will be completely new! Get ready to be smothered in fluff)


End file.
